Make Up
by Gemna
Summary: Hiding in plain sight begins to take its toll.


**Make Up**

Rei stared morosely at the shimmering surface of the koi pond, waiting for her anger to subside. The colourful fish seemed to be circling almost cautiously beneath the water, avoiding the area where her shadow fell. She inhaled the scent of the blossoms in the air around her and tried to clear her mind.

She knew she was being ridiculous. It was hardly Minako's fault that the media insisted upon telling its lies every day, but— Rei wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed.

It was beginning to grate on her, having to watch every move she made whenever she and Minako would go out someplace together. She was coming to loathe the moments when Minako's fans would appear, pushing Rei aside, loudly showering the singer with adoration and pleas for an autograph...

Would they be so overzealous if they knew they were in the presence of the idol's lover?

The worst were the males, with their professions of undying love, proposals of marriage—one boy, he couldn't have been older than sixteen, had actually purchased a ring and had dropped to his knees before Minako, begging her to be his. Had Minako's plainclothes bodyguard not been hovering nearby to disperse the crowd, Rei might have succumbed to her urge to kick the fan in his teeth.

She scowled, thinking of another male that had been seen in Minako's company of late—if the headlines and photographs were to be believed.

Nakagawa Shuya was a rising young star in the idol business, having spent years modelling and acting. He was handsome, charismatic, and wildly popular-and he was a perfect match for the beautiful and talented Aino Minako, according to the press. The two had been seen together quite often lately, as they were starring in the same film, but supposedly the idols had _undeniable_ chemistry on-screen...

Rei knew nothing was going on between them. She _knew._ But it was so difficult not to get jealous every time she read another rumour or saw a photo of them together. Besides, this Nakagawa guy could very well have been encouraging the rumours. He would have to be crazy not to want Minako.

She clenched her jaw and rested her chin atop her knees.

It annoyed her that the press naturally paired Minako off with a man, even though their blind assumptions were very likely why, despite Rei's frequent presence at the idol's side, she and Minako had managed to avoid arousing any suspicions about their relationship. If she were a male, the rumours would be rampant.

...If she were a male, they might not even be hiding the truth from everyone.

It wasn't fair.

Rei sensed someone familiar approaching, and let out a breath, waiting for her visitor to speak.

"I didn't realize that sulking by the koi pond was one of your shrine duties." Rei could nearly feel the hurt in Minako's quiet voice, and a wave of guilt washed over her. "It must be an important one though, given how quickly you left my place earlier."

Rei shrugged in response, not trusting herself to speak. She deliberately avoided Minako's gaze when the idol sat down next to her.

"You know they're just rumours, right, Reiko? Shuya-kun and I are nothing more than fr—"

"_Shuya-kun_?" Rei burst out before she could stop herself. "Suddenly you two are so close?" Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as her glare was met with an amused smile. "What's so damn funny?"

"I'd forgotten how adorable you are when you're jealous."

"I am _not_ j— Don't change the subject," Rei growled. Her cheeks burned hotter as Minako stifled a giggle. "Does _Shuya-kun_ know you and he are just friends?"

"Yeah, he knows." Minako smirked. "I don't really think his boyfriend would approve of him dating me."

Rei's ability to control her speech evaporated again. "B-boyfr—wh—I—huh? He—"

Her confused stuttering was halted by gentle fingertips pressing against her lips.

"I'm not the only idol the press likes to stir up rumours about, Reiko," Minako said softly. Her fingers left Rei's mouth to trace a path along her lover's cheek. "Before they started in on me and Shuya-kun, they were all too interested by the fact that someone so sought after has never had a girlfriend. A lot of reporters and photographers were snooping around. It was getting a bit worrisome for him, especially since his lover's never been all that fond of the limelight."

Minako smiled wryly and Rei couldn't help but do the same. The story sounded all too familiar. She'd been wondering herself why the young man had never been in a relationship, as even Rei could see that he was quite attractive. Of course, then the rumours about Nakagawa and Minako had begun flying around and she began hating every fibre of his being instead.

"Y'know, you were actually the one who helped him figure out a solution, Reiko."

Rei blinked at the statement, perplexed. "Huh? What did _I_ do? I don't understand."

Minako prised one of Rei's hands out of the vice-like grip she still had on her knees and laced their fingers together. "It was a few weeks ago, when you came to visit me on set. Shuya-kun saw us talking together and he realized that he and I had a lot more in common than just our idol work."

Rei swallowed nervously, remembering the visit. "W-was I that obvious?"

Minako shook her head. "No more than I was. I think he just—knew. And he thought, maybe, if he and I were seen in public together it might get the press off of both our backs for just a little while." The idol's smile turned devious. "It's kind of ridiculous how easy they are to manipulate. All we did was go to lunch sometimes during breaks, and they did the rest—"

"I—I wasn't really jealous," Rei blurted, feeling her cheeks redden. She turned so they were facing one another and took hold of Minako's other hand. "I—I know you—that you'd never—I don't—you and I—it's just—I just—" Rei knew she wasn't making an ounce of sense, but it seemed Minako understood what she was trying to say.

"I don't know that I'd like it either, Reiko, if I were in your place. Having to hear rumours about you and some guy, especially false ones—" Minako frowned suddenly. "No, I'd definitely hate it. To pieces." She sighed. "I should have told you what we were up to."

"I—probably shouldn't have stormed off like that either," Rei murmured, feeling rather foolish about the entire situation.

Minako giggled softly. "I can't help noticing that neither one of us is actually uttering an apology."

"Well, why should I apologize when you just admitted this was your fault?" Rei made a face and tightened her grip on Minako's hands to keep from getting slugged.

"Why, you—mm—" Minako's tirade was halted in its tracks as Rei's mouth connected with hers. "You're not afraid one of your elders will see us?" she asked a moment later, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

Rei reached up and tucked a lock of hair behind Minako's ear; her fingertips lingered in the silky strands. "Not really."

Minako bit her lip worriedly and gazed towards the ground. "Everything will change, y'know, when people find out," she murmured.

"Are you worried that how I feel about you will?" Rei cupped Minako's cheek, making her raise her eyes.

"No. Never."

"Then what is it you're so afraid of? I know there's something, I can feel it."

Minako's gaze turned fierce and she covered Rei's hand with her own. "The press—they can say all they want about me, make up lies, slander, I don't care. But you? I don't want them _touching_ you. And right now, because they don't know about you, they can't." She stopped and drew a shuddering breath. "I don't—I don't want to see you get hurt."

Rei was taken aback. She had often thought that Minako was worried about how her career might be affected by news of their relationship, and that was why she sought to keep it quiet for so long—after all, the singer often made jokes about how the press would react to one moment between them or another—but she was only worried about how it would affect _Rei. _

She felt her heart rate increase.

"Mina. Will you be with me?"

Minako stared at Rei, clearly bewildered.

"I mean, whatever they say about me, whatever they do, will you and I be together?"

"Yes—of course! There's no question—"

"Then I can handle it." She couldn't help a slight grin at the blush creeping across Minako's cheeks. After a moment she sighed ruefully and lowered her hand as the idol intertwined their fingers. "I do get what you're saying though. I—don't like them touching you either."

"That's still not what really set you off though, was it?"

Reluctantly, Rei shook her head. "It's just hard. Sometimes. Hiding this. Like it's some dirty little secret, when I'd rather be shouting it from the rooftops. ...What?"

"Would you?"

Rei blinked. "Would I what?"

"Shout from the rooftops that we're together." Minako's grip on her hands tightened, but not painfully.

Rei nodded. "Yeah. Or maybe something less cliché. I know how you can't stand unoriginality."

Minako giggled a moment before her expression became serious again. "You're not a dirty little secret, Reiko."

"I know."

The idol leaned her forehead against Rei's. "Will you let me keep you to myself for just a bit longer, love?"

"On one condition."

"Which is?"

"We go back to your apartment right now and finish making up."

Minako pressed a quick kiss to Rei's lips and pulled her to her feet. "I think I can agree to those terms."

Hand in hand, they left the shrine.

O~O~O

**Author notes: **Okay, so awhile back (because I write so dang slowly these days), someone (also, I forget who, because I suck) said maybe I should write something in which things are perhaps less than fluffy and perfect between these two, just to shake things up. Now, the thing is, I have the worst time writing stuff that has conflict and such in it, soooo, I cheated a bit. The fight's pretty much over when this story starts. I don't even know that it was a fight so much as Rei just bolted from Minako's apartment with little more than a mumbled 'I need to go. Shrine,' and no kiss goodbye. Stunned, and rather hurt, Minako's attention is drawn back to the television where a story featuring her and Nakagawa Shuya is just wrapping up, and things click into place. …but for some reason I couldn't write this part out. Plus, you guys know me and writing stories that start beside koi ponds. Second only to stuff set beneath the stars.

This was a long note. Almost as long as the actual story. PS – I like reviews.

**Author notes III:** For those of you who have read Koushun Takami's phenomenal novel, _Battle Royale_, the names Shuya and Nakagawa probably look a bit familiar, as I totally lifted them from the lead characters, Shuya Nanahara and Noriko Nakagawa. For those of you who haven't read this book, you totally should. If you like horrifying, violent dystopian novels anyway. If you prefer something a bit lighter, um… don't touch it. Ever. It's similar to Suzanne Collins' _The Hunger Games_ with the concept of teenagers getting thrown into kill or be killed situations (You all should also be reading it if you haven't. As well as its two sequels _Catching Fire_ and _Mockingjay_)


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